Free
by SuperMegaFoxyAwesomeHot
Summary: Wizard AU. Full prompt inside.


**Full prompt: HPau where wizard!kurt has a house elf(or semi-elf-semi-human if it's even a thing)!blaine as a slave and he's been serving his family since Kurt was born & he's been a perfect elf and that's why Kurt wants good for him so he gives him an item of clothing aka lets him free but Blaine doesn't go anywhere and Kurt's all like wtf and Blaine says he loves him and wants to stay and well, whatever happens next is all in your hands;)**

 **Feedback, please? I'm a little iffy on this one.**

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Kurt paced around his room, trying to motivate himself into doing what he knew he should.

 _It's not fair to him, Kurt. The Ministry may think he's a second-class citizen since he's in your family's employ, but once he's free, there's nothing that can stop him from getting a real job and having a real life. Maybe he'll even find someone to fall in love with - who wouldn't love someone as kind as him?_

A twist of pain shot through Kurt's gut at the thought of Blaine falling in love with a shadowy stranger.

"Dammit, Dad, why couldn't you have been bigoted for once in your life and told me this plan was short-sighted and mean?" Kurt grumbled quietly. "I don't want to do this! I want - well, I guess it doesn't matter what I want."

He let out one last huff of displeasure before closing his eyes and attempting to focus. Stroking the smooth fabric he'd placed in his pocket, he raised his voice a little and called out "Blaine!"

The loud _crack!_ of Blaine's entrance made Kurt jump, even though it wasn't anything new.

"Sorry, Mast - Kurt," Blaine said, nodding his head to acknowledge Kurt's longstanding command to just call him by his first name. It was part of house-elf nature to use the honorific, though, so Kurt had gotten used to hearing Blaine check himself almost every time he addressed him, even if their relationship was more 'best friends' than 'master and servant.' "What can I do for you?"

"I, um," Kurt stuttered, struck by the genuine concern in Blaine's uncommonly large hazel eyes. _God, how could anyone think Blaine was subhuman after looking him in the eyes?_

"Kurt?" Blaine said, reaching out to rub over Kurt's forearm soothingly.

"I want you to have this!" Kurt said, thrusting his hand into his pocket and pulling out a silk bow tie. He shoved it into Blaine's hands before Blaine could maneuver away from him.

"What?" Blaine looked down at the crumpled fabric, confused, before throwing it on the ground when the realization struck. "No! Not - not-"

"Clothes," Kurt said, hating how Blaine was suddenly clutching his royal blue tunic like it could protect him from all harm. "I'm setting you free, Blaine."

Blaine's face crumpled, his expression a heart-wrenching combination of despair and betrayal. "But I haven't done anything wrong, Master Kurt, have I? I don't deserve clothes!"

"You have done _everything_ right, Blaine," Kurt said fiercely, trying to ignore the tears welling up in his own eyes. "You have been the perfect servant, and more than that, an amazing friend to me since we were born. What you don't deserve is a life like this."

"I don't understand," Blaine said, crying. His ears - one of his more elfin characteristics - were twitching as they always did when he was deeply upset. "I'm a house-elf, this is what I'm supposed to do!"

"But you're not just a house-elf!" Kurt said. "I know your mother was, but we all know your father was a wizard, Blaine. If we hadn't employed you, you could've learned magic, gotten a job, lived a real life! I can't keep depriving you of those chances."

"But your father-"

"-Is on my side," Kurt interrupted, hating how Blaine's face fell when his only line of defense was thwarted. "We both want you to go find people you love and be happy with them as a person capable of doing whatever he wants. We're tired of holding you back."

Kurt couldn't help but release a couple of tears of his own at that, overwhelmed at the amount of grief Blaine was exuding and the stress of convincing his closest friend to leave. As Kurt was crying, though, Blaine was straightening up, a strangely smug look on his face.

"You want me to be happy with people I love?" he asked.

"Yeeees," Kurt said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"I'm happy _here_. I love _you_ , Kurt," Blaine said, smiling victoriously. "So I want to stay anyway."

"You want to stay?" Kurt repeated, flabbergasted.

"I'll stop being your house-elf," Blaine said. "But I'm not leaving. Unless you and your father want me to, of course - was this just a plan to get rid of me because you don't want me around anymore? Oh God, I'll go pack-"

"No, Blaine," Kurt said, quickly grabbing Blaine's arm to keep him in place. "I swear, I don't want you to leave. Working up the nerve to call you here and give you clothes was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I knew I had to give you the option, because - because I couldn't let someone I love be held back on my account."

He breathed hard at the end of that speech, staring Blaine dead in the eyes. The intensity of Blaine's returning gaze sparked a flurry of emotions in his belly that he couldn't quite identify, especially after Blaine leaned in and kissed him passionately, shutting down any brain function Kurt may have been capable of in favor of thinking _more_ and _yes_ and _please_ and _wait_ -

"Wait, wait," Kurt said, one thought breaking through his kiss-drunk haze. "This isn't some weird Stockholm syndrome thing, right? Living with us all these years hasn't brainwashed you into loving me?"

Blaine just laughed and rubbed over Kurt's shoulders gently. "It's not Stockholm syndrome, Kurt. You and your father have always treated me like a person, not a slave, and gossiping with the elves who've come to visit with their masters has taught me that's not common. I like you because you're _you_ , not because I think you're my only option."

"You're using my name," Kurt said, eyes widening as the realization hit. "You said it just now, and a few minutes ago, too."

"I am, aren't I?" Blaine said giddily. "Oh wow, I can say your name now! Maybe freedom won't be so bad."

"Excuse me, I'd like to think finally acknowledging our love for each other is a pretty good benefit of freedom," Kurt teased.

"And that, of course. And bow ties!" Blaine said, bending down to scoop the emerald green fabric off the floor. "I've always been jealous of your bow ties. Sometimes even more than your wand, honestly."

"Well, now you won't have to covet either," Kurt said, kissing Blaine's cheek. "Let's scrounge up some clothes for you around here so we can go out and get you a set of your own and a wand. We've gotta get you caught up!"

"Promise not to laugh if I screw up?" Blaine asked, looking bashful all of a sudden.

"Blaine, I nearly singed off my professor's eyebrows once. I promise I won't hold any screw-ups against you," Kurt said emphatically, pulling Blaine in for a hug. He couldn't get enough of Blaine now that they were on equal footing.

The way Blaine reached out for his hand as they walked down the hall to share the news with Burt made him believe he wasn't the only one reveling in their newfound ability to touch, though.


End file.
